Railway safety appliance.



V. W. OWLES & J. A. McKlNLEY, JR. RAiLWAY SAFETY APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30. 1914.

1,151,385. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

[ 1 SOURCE OF POWER AIR VALVE 43 **%Z CIRC T EAKER.

CIRCUIT 0F TRAIN MDTDR 0N ELECTRIC TRAIN.

AIR PIPE LINE WWW IIVVEAITORS- COLUMBIA PMNUGRAPH 60., WASHINIETON, D. C.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

VINCENT w; OWLES AND JOHN A. MQKINLEY, JR, 0]? NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY SAFETY APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

Application filed September 30, 1914. SerialNo. 864,209.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, VINCENT W. OWLES' and JOHN A. MGKINLEY, Jr., both citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of the borough of Manhattan and the borough of Bronx, in the city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Railway Safety Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to railway safety appliances, and more particularly to a system of train signals, time and place :or distance recording devices, and train control mechanism, all operated automatically from and by the usual wayside signals to indicate audibly to the driver the signal given visually on the wayside, to record the time and place or distance from a specified point, where a signalis so given, and also to apply the brakes or shut olf the power when the danger signal isdis-regarded by the engine driver or operator.

e are aware that heretofore various devices have been suggested for accomplishing the same, or purposes similar, to those performed by the apparatus made in accordance with our invention, but all of these devices, so far as the same have come to our notice, are more or less complicated mechanisms, liable to derangement, and also to being rendered inoperative by various conditions of the weather.

The object of our invention is therefore to provide a simply constructed and inexpensive apparatus for accomplishing the purposes hereinbefore stated, and also one that is believed to be absolutely weather'- proof.

The apparatus made in accordance with our invention is operated electrically, and in carrying out the same, we preferably employ a series of circuit closers, suitably secured in a housing placed eXteriorly of the cab of a steam, electricv or other engine, electrical connections from the said circuit closers to an audible signal within the cab,

also to an instrument for recording the time or d1stance, orboth, and also an air brake valve or circuit breaker suitably located, together wlth a shoe actuated by a semaphore,

or other wayside signal, depending upon Referring to the drawing, we have'dia grammatically illustratedthe cab of an engine, asshown at 10. The drivers of the engine are similarly indicated at 11, the track at 12, and the ties or sleepers at 18.

Exteriorly of the cab, and suitably connected thereto, we employ a housing 14:. As shown inthe drawing, this housing is secured to the. roof of the cab by brackets 15 and' 16. As will be understood, however, the housing may be placed in any other suitable position exteriorly of the cab, and may be secured thereto in any desired manner.

The housing is preferably made in three sections, theupper of which is indicated at 17,.the central section at 18, and the bottom section'at 19. These sections are preferably supported from the end of the housing in spaced positions, so as to leave intermediate channel portions or spaces 20 and 21.

Suitably fitted in the upper section 17 of the housing is a movableor contact member 22. This is secured in'its normal position by means of springs 23 or otherwise. Also fixed in suitable positions on the upper sec-' tionl'? of thehousing are contacts 24: and 25, against which the movable member 22 ismade to bear, after being pressed upwardly against the action of the springs 23.

Similarly, on the under side of the central section 18 of the housing is a movable or contact member 26. This also is secured in 1ts normalposition by means of spr1ngs27,

and upon being pressed upwardly against the action of these springs, may be brought to bear against the contact members 28, 29 and 30, suitably fixed in the central section 18. 7

To act in conjunction with the hereinbefore described housing and contacts, we employ a series of shoes, each of which is associated with a semaphore, or other wayside signal. As illustrated in the drawing, each of these shoes is preferably made of two parts, indicated, respectively, at 31 and 32, the one'overlapping the other and normally maintained in their spaced positions by springs 33, against the action of which the members of theshoe may be moved toward one another.

- Asshown in Fig. 1, each shoe is suitably socuredto the end of a rod 34, pivotally connected at 35 to the pole 36 0f the semaphore. The semaphore arm is indicated at 37, and as usual ispivotally connected to the pole 36, as indicated at 38, The rod 34 extends appreciably beyond its pivotal point 35 on the side ofthe pole opposite the end of the arm to which'the shoe is attached, and this-end of the arm is connected to the semaphore arm by a link39, so that in operating the semaphore arm, the rod 34 and the shoe are correspondingly actuated. When the semaphore arm 37 is set at the danger position, as shown in full linesinthe drawing, the rod 34 assumes the full line position,in which the shoe is soplaced as to enter the channel between the centraland lower sections of the housing, thereby forcing the movable contact member '26upwardly to bear against the contacts 28, 29 and 30. When the sema phore arm 37 is set inthe intermediate posi-- assumes theposition shown in the uppermost dotted lines, and 111 which the shoe is so placed as to entirely clear the housing.

Suitably placed in the cab of the engine,

is an electric bell 40, or other audible alarm, operated electrically. of thefenginc, we employ arecorder 41. This instrument is adapted to indicate and record the time, and also, if desirable, the

distance from a designated point at which a particular. signal has been glven. Also as indicated in the drawing, we have, shown diagrammatically an air, valve or. circuit Also within the cab which instance the mains leading from the power supplied to the circuit breaker are indicated at 44 and 45.

The audible alarm is operated when the shoe enters either the channel between the upper and intermediate sections of the housing or the channel between the intermediate and lower sections of the housing, one terminal of the audible alarm being connected to the contact 25 by a line 46, which, by a line 47 is also connected to the contact 30. The other terminal of the audible alarm is connected to one terminal of the battery 48, or other source of electrical energy, by a line 49. The opposite terminal of the battery is connected to'the movable contact member 22 by a line 49, which is also connected to the movable contact member 26 by a line 50. Similarly, the recording instrument 41 is operated when the shoe enters either channel in the housing, one terminal of thereoording instrument being connectedto the contact 24 by a line 51, which is also connected to the terminal 29 by a line 52. The other terminal of the recording instrument is connected to one terminal of the battery by a line 53, the return circuits from the opposite terminal of the battery being connected to movable contact members 22 and 26 by the lines 49 and 50'.

' The air valve or circuit breaker 42 is only operated to apply the brakes,- or turn of]? the power, when the shoe enters the lower chanml in the housing, thecircuit being completed through the instrument employed by a line 54 connected to the contact 28, and a line 55 to one terminal of the battery.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent in the operation of the apparatus made in accordance with our invention, that none of the devices will be operated when the semaphore, or other wayside signal, is set to a clear track position. When, however, the semaphore is set at the intermediate or caution position, the shoe associated with and actuated by the same will enter the upper channel in the housing and close the electric circuits, both to the audible signal and to the time, or distance recording instrument, whereas when the semaphore is set to the danger position, the shoe will enter the lower'channel in the housing and close the electric. circuits to the audible signal, the time and distance recording instrument, and also to the apparatus for operating the air valve or circuit breaker, thereby applying the brakes orturning oii the power,or both, to stop the train. i c

It will also be apparent that, in view of the manner of constructing the housing, the contact through which the electric circuits are closed, are protected from the weather, ant also, because of the yielding manner in which the members of theshoe are'se'cured together, the same may yield, if necessary, in passing through the channels of the housing to o erate the contacts, in order that snow and sleet, and other conditions of the elements may not interfere with the proper operation of the apparatus.

l/Ve claim as our invention 1. A railway safety appliance comprising a housing on the exterior of a vehicle and having a plurality of channels or passageways therein, a circuit closer in each of the said channels in the said housing, electrical connections from the said circuit closers to indicating devices; and a member actuated by a way-side signal so that in predetermined positions thereof the said member enters one of said channels and operates the circuit closer therein to complete a circuit to certain of the said indicating devices, de pending upon whichchannel the said member enters,

2. A railway safety appliance comprising a housing on the exterior of a vehicle and having a plurality of channels or passageways therethrough, a circuit closer in each of the said channels in the said housing, an audible alarm, a recording instrument, speed controlling devices, electrical conneetions from the said circuit closers to the said audible alarm, recording instrument and speed controllingdeviees, and a member actuated by a way-side signal so that in a predetermined position it will enter one of the channels in the housing to operate the circuit closer therein, thereby completing a circuit to the said alarm and recording instrument, and so that in another position the said member will enter another of the channels in the said housing to operate a circuit closer therein, thereby completing circuits to the said alarm, recording instrument, and speed control devices. a

3. A railway safety appliance comprising a housing secured exteriorlyof a vehicle, fixed upper, intermediate and lower members in the said housing, providing channels between the same, a movable contact member in each of the said channels, contacts against which each of the saidmovable members is adapted to bear, indicating devices, electrical connections from the said contacts and movable members to the said indicating devices, and a member actuated by a wayside signal so that in predetermined positions thereof the said member will enter and pass through one of the channels 111 the said housing to operate the movable contact therein, bringing the same bers in the housing providing channels be-' tween the same, a movable contact member in each of the said channels, contacts against which each of the said movable members is adapted to bear, an alarm, a recording instrument, a safety control device, electrical connections from the said contacts and contact members to the said alarm, recording instrument and speed controlling device, and a member actuated by a way-side signal so that in a predetermined position it will enter and pass through one of the said channels to operate the movable contact therein, bringing the same to bear against the corresponding contacts so as to close electric circuits to the said alarm and recording instrument, and so that in another position of the said member it will enter the other channels in the said housing to operate the 1nov-- able contact therein, bringing the same to bear against its contacts to close electric circuits to the said alarm, recording instrument and speed control device.

5. A railwaysafety appliance comprising a housing secured to the exterior of a vehicle and having a plurality of channels or passage-ways therethrough, a circuit closer in each of the said channels, an audible alarm, a recording instrument, speed control devices, electrical connections from the said circuit closers to the said audible alarm, recording instrument and speed control devices, and a two-part shoe operated by a way-side signal so as to enter any one of the channels in the said housing to operate the circuit closer therein to complete electric circuits to the audible alarm, recording instrument or speed control device, depending upon which of the said channels the said two-part shoe enters.

6. A railway safety appliance comprising a housing secured ,exteriorly to a vehicle, fixed upper, intermediate and lower members in the said housing providing channels between the same, a movable contact in each of the said channels, contacts against which each of the said movable members is adapted to bear, an audible alarm, a recording instrument, a speed control device, electrical connections between the said contacts and movable members and the said audible alarm, recording instrument and speed control device, and a twopart shoe actuated by a Way-side signal so that in any predetermined position thereof the said shoe Will enter one ofthe channels in the housing to bring the movable contact therein against Signed by me this 12' day of September 1914, at Rochester, N. Y.

VINCENT W. OWLES. Witnesses: v

. GEdHmE, H. MACDONALD.

Signed by me this 21st day of September, 1914, at New York city, N. Y.

' JOHN A. MoKINLEY,J Witnesses:

J. B. LE BLANC, BERTHA M. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained forfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. V 

